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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24507028">Peace and Unity</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurtleTotem/pseuds/TurtleTotem'>TurtleTotem</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beach Divorce Fix-It (X-Men), Crack, Dark Charles Xavier, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:16:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>951</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24507028</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurtleTotem/pseuds/TurtleTotem</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Charles, are you all right?” Raven said cautiously. “You’re acting… a little strange.”<br/>“Oh, I act like this all the time," Charles said absently. “You just don’t remember it later.”</p>
<p>(On Tumblr <a href="https://turtletotem.tumblr.com/post/619818526867324928/peace-and-unity">here</a>.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>204</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Cherik Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Peace and Unity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"All right, that is enough of that," Charles said exasperatedly as Erik turned the missiles back toward the ships. "I'm done coddling your neuroses, Erik."</p>
<p>He touched a hand to his temple, and the missiles tumbled from Erik's control into the water. Erik looked at the missiles, looked at his outstretched hand, looked at Charles.</p>
<p>"Sit down," Charles said, "before you hurt anyone else."</p>
<p>Erik sat down, hard and graceless, in the sand.</p>
<p>"But," he said. "But the helmet—"</p>
<p>"It slowed me down for a few minutes, I admit," Charles said. "But it's a bit hilarious that Shaw thought it would stop me for good. Brainwaves don't only come out the <em>back</em> of your head. Honestly!"</p>
<p>Erik probed at his exposed face, frowning.</p>
<p>Moira came running out of the crashed plane, where she had been trying to contact her CIA superiors. "<em>Erik, put down those</em>—Oh. You stopped him." She lowered her gun.</p>
<p>"Yes, thankfully, since you certainly wouldn't have been any use at it," Charles said. "A gun, Moira, really? You were going to fire a gun at a mutant who controls metal? How do you think that would have gone? Wherever that bullet ended up, it certainly wouldn't have been in Erik!"</p>
<p>Moira blushed and holstered the gun.</p>
<p>"You sit down, too," Charles said, "while I get this figured out." He waved a hand at Moira, who dropped onto her butt in the sand, face blank.</p>
<p>"Charles…" Raven was approaching cautiously, the boys hanging back behind her. "Are you all right? You're acting… a little strange."</p>
<p>"Oh, I act like this all the time, you just don't remember it later," Charles said absently. "And Moira doesn't mind. She thinks she has a crush on me. She actually finds me quite irritating, which wouldn't serve our purposes at all, so I had to fix that. Ah ah ah!" He turned and pointed at Erik, who was trying to get to his feet. "You stay put! There, now you can't feel your legs. That ought to keep you still for a bit."</p>
<p>"I don't… remember it later?" Raven repeated, shaken. "But Charles, you promised you would never use your powers on me…"</p>
<p>"Yes, I did," Charles said brightly, raising a hand to his temple, "and of course I never shall. You believe that, wholeheartedly. You all do."</p>
<p>Raven and the boys all nodded woodenly.</p>
<p>"Excellent. Now, you." He went to stand in front of Erik, whose eyes had gone very, very wide. "I think I've been more than patient with you, Erik. You've been through a great deal, and I really enjoyed trying to help you with that. It's been such a long time since I had a real <em>challenge</em> to work with. Raven stopped having truly independent ideas years ago. But unfortunately you've just proven that you can't be trusted not to kill people on a whim."</p>
<p>"I'm beginning to wonder why that matters to you," Hank said from behind Raven, his voice heavy with dawning dread.</p>
<p>"Sometimes I wonder too," Charles said in tones of exasperation. "People really are so stupid, so much of the time. But they're beautiful, too. You're all so beautiful." He beamed at them all, and they smiled back tentatively, instinctively reacting to the wave of affection and approval hitting their minds. "I can't help it, Hank, I do love people! They're so complicated, so interesting, so <em>entertaining</em>. If I had no people to love and take care of, what would I even do with myself? Not to mention, who would take care of <em>me?</em> I have needs, you know. And I can't cook at all." He looked them all over for a moment, thoughtfully—all of them, Shaw's defeated minions included. "Yes, every one of you has such potential. I do believe I'll keep you." He smiled with great satisfaction.</p>
<p>Then he pointed, and Shaw's minions walked, blank-faced, to stand next to Erik.</p>
<p>"Right," Charles said. "This whole kill-the-humans mindset has got to go. I think the simplest solution is to say today has been a turning point for you all, an epiphany. Violence is not the way. Brotherhood for all, that is the only answer." He touched a hand to his temple and closed his eyes for a very long minute, face scrunched in concentration. Moira, Raven, and the boys looked at each other uneasily.</p>
<p>When Charles opened his eyes, Shaw's minions were looking around and smiling as if the world were somehow new and beautiful. Erik, getting slowly to his feet, looked like he might be waking up from a bad dream—his face lighter, his shoulders sagging with relief. Absently, he took off the helmet and dropped it in the sand.</p>
<p>"Charles," he said breathlessly, opening his arms, "I'm so sorry—I don't know what I was doing—I don't know why I thought—"</p>
<p>"Shh, it's all right, darling, all is forgiven," Charles said, falling into his embrace. "So long as you never do it again."</p>
<p>"Never!"</p>
<p>"Excellent." He kissed Erik for a lazy, luxurious moment. "You are so good at that. All right, everyone, gather up! Azazel's going to get us out of here."</p>
<p>"But Charles," Raven said shakily.</p>
<p>"Ah, right." Another fingertip to his temple. "You all remember me talking Erik down with a rousing and inspirational speech about peace and unity, powerful enough to bring Angel, Riptide and Azazel over to our side. Raven, your confidence in my promise remains undying. Moira, don't forget you're in love with me—though you may end up forgetting a good many other things, very soon. Never mind that for now. Come along, everyone hold hands. Let's go home!"</p>
<p>"Yes, Charles," they all replied in perfect unison, and disappeared from the beach.</p>
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